Babysitting Blues
by Moonlight Tigger
Summary: Like it says in the title, it's a story about babysitting. He didn't know what he was getting himself in to. It was just a simple part-time job minding kids wasn't it?
1. Chapter 1

Babysitting Blues

Chapter 1: First Impressions

"I feel so sorry for you, man," Jean Havoc muttered as he pulled the car to a stop at their destination.

Roy Mustang, his friend smirked sidelong at him, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"I'm sure they're not that bad," he mumbled, moving to unlock the passenger door. Jean snorted, displaying that he disagreed with his friend.

"I heard from Jodie that they flooded the bathroom while she was watching them," he started, but by now Roy had lost interest and had climbed out of the car.

"Just come back at ten to pick me up. I'd rather not walk the whole way back to East City," his raven-haired chum grinned. Jean nodded, slipping a cigarette into his mouth, and switched on the radio, preparing himself for the journey back alone.

As he pulled away, Roy half-heartedly waved, before turning to face the lone house atop the hill; where he would be spending the next few hours.

As he chapped on the front door, a brunette appeared, dressed in work attire. She smiled brightly, mirroring Roy's mother when he had been small.

"Are you Roy Mustang?" She asked. Roy nodded. The brunette stepped aside to let the 17-year-old into her home.

After closing the door behind them, the brunette strolled past Roy, coming to a stop at the foot of the stairs. She picked up three bags; one handbag for personal belongings like her cell phone, the other two; briefcases for her work equipment.

"I'm Trisha Elric. Please don't call me Mrs. Elric, though, as it makes me sound old," she chuckled, holding her hand out for Roy to take. He shook it, nodding.

"Well, Trisha, you have all of my details, like my phone number. So, if you need to cancel a date for me coming to watch over, give me a ring. I'll answer it, even if I'm at school," Roy mumbled. Trisha nodded.

"And you have all my work details so that if something happens, you can inform me about it," she replied. It was Roy's turn to nod his head.

"Right…" he said. Trisha grinned, tilting her head back towards the stairs.

"Boys! Can you come down for a moment?" Her call resulted in two pairs of thundering footsteps descending the stairs, one heavier than the other.

Moments later, two blondes stood in front of Trisha. One with shorter and darker hair clung onto Trisha tightly, giving Roy wary glances while the other, with longer, brighter hair scowled and folded his arms at the newcomer.

"Boys, I would like you to meet Roy Mustang, your new babysitter," Trisha explained in a mothering tone. Roy grinned sheepishly at the two pairs of eyes boring into him. One set gold, the other brown.

"And Roy, this is Alphonse, my youngest," Trisha continued, patting the small head of the child gripping onto her. "And this is Edward." She pointed to the child with folded arms.

"Hello Alphonse and Edward," Roy said. He bent down to their level, smiling.

"I won't bite, trust me." With that slight joke, Alphonse tore away from his mother, charging over to Roy, ploughing him down. Edward remained stationary by the foot of the stairs, surveying his 'babysitter' with curious eyes.

Roy lifted Alphonse into his arms, adjusting him onto his hip so he could shake Trisha's hand in farewell.

"I'll be back around ten. Their bedtime is nine, since they have school in the morning," Trisha explained as she proceeded down the front path towards her car. "And boys, try to behave." Edward sniggered at her remark, signifying that he would definitely be disobeying it.

…

Once Trisha was far into the distance, Roy turned and headed back inside, followed by the two young brothers.

"So how old are you boys?" he attempted to start a conversation to destroy the tense atmosphere.

"I'm 7 years old and Brother is 8," Alphonse gladly informed him.

"So…quite young then," Roy replied, heading into the living room. Alphonse quickly scurried in after him, while Ed shuffled along, deep in thought. Alphonse struggled to climb onto the sofa to sit beside Roy, and eventually the teen took pity in him and lifted his small body.

Edward, instead of heading to sit beside the two on the couch simply took a seat by the fire, his eyebrows furrowed as he continued to think.

"I hear you boys have quite a reputation of getting rid of babysitters after their first time here," Roy continued. Alphonse snickered, and Edward managed a small smile, staring blankly at the flames crackling away in the fireplace.

"Brother's the one who comes up with all the tricks!" Alphonse giggled.

"Right…well I can tell you now…none of your childish tricks are going to work on me. My patience is as thick as steel," Roy mumbled. Edward gave him a glare from the fireplace, sending him a silent warning that his pride was soon to be dented.

Great first impressions then.

Author's Note: This is my first multi-chapter story...so please tell me if I should continue it or not :) Read and review please!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Enduring the first night

"So, what do you boys want for dinner?" Roy shouted, while scanning the kitchen cabinets. Alphonse immediately appeared beside him.

"Beans on toast!" he grinned. He then retrieved a chair from the dining table, and moved it over to a particular cabinet.

As he rummaged through it, Roy placed a pan on the hob, and grabbed a loaf of bread and a can of beans. He glanced sideways at Alphonse, who on cue laughed triumphantly. He pulled out a packet of tablets, which intrigued Roy.

"What are they?" he asked as Alphonse shut the cabinet door and crawled off the chair.

"They're Brother's vitamin tablets. He's lactose intolerant, so we give him these to keep his calcium up," the boy explained. He poured a glass of water, and then dropped the tablets into the clear liquid. They quickly dissolved and it looked identical to normal water. Probably didn't taste like it though.

…

"Boys! Dinner's being served," Roy called, placing the plates of steaming food atop the table mats. The two youngsters rushed into the room, taking their places at their respective seats.

As they ate, Alphonse decided to enlighten Roy on the boys' school, which was in East City. Roy wondered how he had never seen the two before.

"And I'm the top of my class at maths my teacher says!" Alphonse said through another mouthful of toast. Roy smiled in acknowledgement. He decided now would be the best time to get the elder sibling to speak.

"Are you the top of your class for anything, Edward?" The raven-haired teen asked. Golden eyes glanced up as the owner reached for his glass of 'water'.

"He's the top of class at PE!" Alphonse informed Roy, speaking on his brother's behalf. Roy raised his eyebrows, wishing to know more.

"And why's that?" he asked.

"He does martial arts; that's why!" Alphonse happily chirped, butting in for his brother again.

"I can speak for myself, Al! In case you hadn't noticed, I do have a voice!" Edward snapped. Al blushed, looking into his lap under his brother's cold stare.

"Edward, apologize to Al immediately! He was only trying to be helpful, to save your breath!" Roy scolded. This resulted in a long staring showdown between Edward and him.

"Fine, say what you want, Al. I'm outta here," Edward muttered, jumping down from his seat and shuffled away.

After a few moments, they heard the front door open and close. Roy's eyes widened, along with Alphonse, and the two began to rush to the front door.

…

"Brother!" Al called out into the night. Dressed in his winter woollies, both he and Roy searched the surrounding area for the blonde.

"Edward, can you hear me?" Roy shouted.

After continued searching for another half hour, small sniffles finally met their ears. They followed the sound and found Edward's tiny form curled up by the riverside, shivering with the cold. It was the middle of winter, after all.

"Brother!" Al bent down beside him. When Edward didn't acknowledge his presence, his young face scrunched up and he began sobbing. Roy bent down beside the two, comforting Alphonse slightly.

"He's just caught cold, that's all. Once we get him back inside, he'll wake up," Roy reassured him. He thought he saw Alphonse shake his head slightly, but brushed it off as his imagination and proceeded to pick the elder brother into his arms.

Edward didn't struggle, or even move for that matter, for the entire journey back to the house. This slightly concerned Roy, but he reassured himself like he had done Alphonse, passing it off as the cold getting to the boy.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Phone call

So that was it. He had survived the first night.

Travelling back with Jean after tucking the boys into bed and saying farewell to Trisha, Roy felt happy for the first time in ages. Tonight, despite the few hiccups they had experienced, had gone pretty smoothly.

He had wrapped Ed in blankets and plonked him on the couch while he and Alphonse played chess. For three games in a row the 7-year-old had beaten him!

"So you are going back tomorrow again? I can't believe you survived tonight," Jean finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence between them both.

"Yeah…they are okay if you show no mercy to them. Edward ran away in a temper, but we found him by the river. I think the cold got to him, since he didn't realise Alphonse and I were there," Roy pondered. Jean puffed on his cigarette.

"I salute you man," he muttered. "I've never heard of anyone surviving past one night with those two."

"Just drive, Jean." Roy decided an abrupt end to the conversation was necessary, as he needed time to think. He was still worried about Edward's state when they found him. Could the cold make someone so unaware of their surroundings?

The next day, Roy was packing away his books for fifth period when his phone beeped. He lifted it from his back pocket and noticed the voicemail icon flashing at him.

He opened the voicemail and put the phone to his ear, while launching his rucksack onto his back.

"_Roy," _Trisha's voice rung through the speaker. _"I just wanted to make sure you are coming round tonight. I have been given extra hours to my shift so you may have to stay later than planned. And…could you please pick up the boys from school? One of my friends; Pinako Rockbell will give you a ride back to our house."_

Roy groaned, sliding his phone away and grabbing the directions to Ed and Al's school. He'd have to not go to last period, but could easily get a note from Trisha to say he was picking the boys up and could not attend that class.

"So, excited for the History test?" A bespectacled young man put his arm around Roy's shoulder playfully. Roy smacked him in the cheek mischievously.

"Sorry Hughes, I can't go to last period," Roy smirked, turning to face his best friend, who was currently nursing a red cheek.

"Why not? Does this mean I get all the _ladies_?" Maes Hughes, despite his needing to wear glasses was a ladies man, and many of the girls in their year were allured by his charm.

"Yeah, have fun," Roy chuckled at his companion. "I gotta go and pick Ed and Al up from their school." Maes grinned up at his friend, returning to placing his arm around Roy's shoulders teasingly.

"So you really survived them? We are not worthy!" Maes jokingly bowed before his best friend. Roy laughed, smacking him round the head for his stupidness.

"You're an idiot sometimes, you know that?" he sighed, heading again towards the main entrance of the school; his escape route.

Maes soon caught up with him though, not caring if he was going to be late for class. It was just a test, and besides, he could take it again when Roy was sitting it.

"So you're gonna be late back? I'll make sure not to lock the door," he said.

"Yeah. Trisha got extra hours at work so I may be very late back," Roy sighed, hitching his bag further onto his shoulder. He was currently living with Maes and Maes' parents, as he would go into care if he did not have anyone to stay with until he was eighteen, old enough to get his own apartment.

"Wow, so you're on first name terms with the mom? I definitely need to polish my skills to keep up my reputation as best womanizer!" Maes laughed.

"Right, whatever. I really gotta go," Roy excused himself, and then departed, running for the school gates.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Slowly building bridges

Roy chapped lightly on the front door. He had now become accustomed to chapping at this hour on the very same door every single night.

For two months he had been babysitting the Elric brothers. Despite Al becoming immediately attached to him, the elder Elric was less enthusiastic to become friends with the teen.

He had played many a prank on the babysitter; but Roy took it in his stride, not giving Edward the satisfaction of him losing his temper.

Tonight was no different. As Roy went to check on Alphonse after laying the sandwiches they were having for dinner on the table, Edward snuck in and hid a plastic frog in Roy's sandwich.

As Roy bit into his lettuce and ham sandwich, he felt something squishy between his teeth. He pulled the item out with his teeth, to reveal the body of a rubber frog hanging from his mouth.

This caused uproar of laughter from the offender at the other end of the table. Edward was in stitches as Roy removed the frog from his lips.

"What are you laughing at Shorty? Did you not know frogs legs are a delicacy in France?" Roy mocked, twanging the rubber toy at the blonde. It smacked Edward in the forehead, and, instead of losing his temper, Edward remained still for a moment. He then flopped sideways off of his chair. Roy watched in horror as his eyes rolled backwards into his head as he fell.

"Edward?" he exclaimed, running over to the boy, flopped on his side. His green t-shirt with a black long-sleeved top draped over him.

Roy felt the boy for a pulse, and when he got one, he sighed in relief. He then turned Edward onto his back and felt his forehead for a temperature.

"He has a fever," he stated, lifting the boy into his arms.

"Is brother okay?" Alphonse whispered anxiously. His brown eyes looked pleading up at the teen.

"I really don't know. Let's put him to bed, and call your mom. I'm sure he'll be fine after a good night's sleep," Roy smiled. This must have quelled Alphonse's fears, as the boy nodded and toddled off to ascend the stairs to his brother's room.

Once Roy reached the top of the stairs, the unconscious child in his arms, he noticed Alphonse had lovingly drawn back the covers on his brother's bed, to allow Roy to simply slide him into the warmth of the duvet.

"Right, you keep an eye on him while I go and give your mother a quick call," Roy tried to keep a calm face. He knew something serious must be happening to Edward to make him collapse out of nowhere, but he couldn't work out what.

"Brother, don't be ill, please. If you're ill, Mommy will have to take time off work and Roy will have to leave." When Roy heard Alphonse's innocent plea to his brother as he exited the room in search of the phone, it almost brought a tear to his eye.

...

"Right, your mother is on her way back now. Do you want something to drink, little man?" Roy smiled as he entered the bedroom once again. Alphonse suddenly tackled him to the ground.

"Al…you'll break his back doing that," came the whisper from the bed. Roy immediately looked up to find the eldest blonde propped up by spare pillows, beaming down at them.

"Edward, are you okay?" he asked, getting to his feet and walked over. Edward nodded confidently.

"Why wouldn't I be?" The confusion in his voice was evident.

"You...you collapsed downstairs, when I threw the rubber frog at you," Roy mumbled, puzzled. Edward sent him a bemused look.

"I can't remember that. I just remember laughing at the toy frog in your gob and then woke up in my bed, with Al sleeping beside me," he stated. Roy put his palm to the boy's forehead, checking his temperature once more.

"Hmm….you seem fine now, it was probably just lack of sleep getting to you. This is what happens when you stay up half the night either tormenting me or reading those books you are so fond of," Roy beamed, patting Edward's blonde head. "Your mom is very worried and is on her way back now. Just next time, tell us if you don't feel very good." Edward nodded fiercely.

"Now can I get out of bed?" he asked innocently.

"Sure," Roy smiled, and Edward shuffled to the edge, and planted his bare feet on the carpet below. As he began to stand, he suddenly lost his balance and began to tumble to the floor.

"Right, I'll let you out of bed, but you're to rest on the couch where I can see you," Roy muttered, hoisting the blonde into his arms, positioning him onto his hip like he usually did with Alphonse. "C'mon Al." He held his hand out, and after a moment a tiny fist joined with his.

Author's note: Thanks for reading! :) I have most of this story planned out, so now comes the tricky bit- actually converting my ideas into words. I knew I should have written the ideas into my notebook where I put in any inspirations for stories...oh well hehe :D Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Trisha Returns

Roy was happily reading to the two now sleepy brothers, with Al still enticed in the story, and Ed drifting off to sleep under the blanket they had laid over him. His golden eyes were slowly sealed away as he slipped into slumber.

"He doesn't snore, does he?" Roy joked. Alphonse giggled childishly.

"No, brother usually is really quiet in his sleep, unless he's having a nightmare," Al explained, grinning. "Mommy goes to him if he's having nightmares, but when I get them; I just crawl in beside brother and he protects me from the monsters." Roy almost chuckled at the innocent point of view from Alphonse, but instead smiled at the closeness of the two siblings.

"What does he have nightmares about?" he decided to make conversation, also wishing to understand the eldest Elric brother more.

"Mostly about Daddy," Al quickly answered. Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Why does he have nightmares about him?"

"Cos he says Daddy was evil, since he left us behind. He left mommy alone. I don't remember Daddy, so I just listen to Mommy's stories about him. Brother doesn't like the stories; says they are lies," Al replied, shrugging.

"When did your Dad leave you?"

"When I was four, and brother was five," Al grinned proudly, recalling the ages precisely. He was happy to finally share it with someone, the hardships their family had gone through.

"My Mom and Dad left me," Roy mumbled randomly. Al stared at him; wide-eyed. He crawled into Roy's lap, snuggling into him affectionately. Roy thought nothing of it; thinking it sweet.

"Would you like to tell me?" Alphonse asked amiably, his words far beyond his own years. "I won't tell anybody; not even brother." Roy smiled, silently thanking the boy for letting him open up, and promising to keep it private between the both of them. He debated for a moment on whether to tell Al, but then decided it would be better to get the feelings off his chest.

"My mother was from Xing; you know the neighbouring country to Amestris. My father was Amestrian. They met at my grandfather's bar in Xing, since my dad was vacationing in the area. He was a very rich man, my father, and longed to find someone to spend his life with, and to give him an heir."

"Are you his heir?" Al asked. Roy nodded, smiling.

"Though I haven't inherited anything because he doesn't even know I exist," He replied sadly. Al snuggled closer. "Anyway, they soon fell in love, and two years later, I was born. But my father was away on a business trip while my mother was pregnant; and she thought it best for him not to know. Instead, since she was only 17 and could not handle a child at the time; dumped me at an orphanage in East City. Then, a family who already had a child; my best friend Maes Hughes now, found me lonely in the orphanage grounds, and adopted me. I've lived with them since I was three years old."

"Why don't you go find your father?" Alphonse questioned. His brown eyes locked with Roy's navy ones for a moment, and the teen sighed.

"I think he has children now, three sons and one daughter. They're in the newspapers often, and I don't think I'd want that sort of life. I'm perfectly with the family I have now." And that was perfectly truthful; Roy could not have asked for more loving kin.

"Are we part of your family?" Al smiled. Roy ruffled his dark blonde hair.

"Once I know you better, I'm sure I would count you as family," he answered, beaming.

….

The bell broke Roy from his peaceful slumber. He carefully lifted Alphonse off of his chest, where the child had fallen asleep, and made his way to the front door.

"Is everything okay? I came back as soon as possible!" Trisha exclaimed. Roy put a finger to his lips, silencing her. He led her into the living room, where her two sons were calmly sleeping on the couch. She sighed happily at the sight, and approached Edward, bundled beneath the blue blanket.

"What happened?" she whispered to Roy, while stroking Ed's blonde locks motherly.

"He just collapsed at dinner. I think it was just lack of sleep, so set him down here, read them both a story, and when I finished, he was already asleep," Roy explained. Trisha smiled, kissing her eldest child's forehead softly.

"I'll keep him off school tomorrow, to catch up with his rest," she decided out loud. "Thank you for calling me. You don't need to come round tomorrow, since I'll be here."

"Okay. I'll be on my way then," Roy began to collect his things, texting Jean hurriedly.

"Have a coffee first. I'm sure it'll take your friend at least half an hour to get out here," Trisha beamed.

…...

Roy sipped on the warm drink. Trisha sure could make a good cup of coffee. He smiled at Trisha opposite, who was going through the post.

He noticed a few photos on the fridge, and so stood up and walked over.

There were three.

The first; a full family photo, with the boys' father. Alphonse looked like a baby, and Edward not much older, so he guessed Edward was little over 1 and Alphonse a few months old. He hated to admit it, but they were adorable. Trisha must be proud of her two sons.

"Is that the boys' father?" He asked randomly, pointing to the headless body, the head covered by another picture. The headless body was holding a curious Ed. Trisha looked up from the post, and smiled as she walked over.

"Yes, that was taken shortly after Alphonse was born. He was only 5 months old, while my little man was 18 months," she explained. "I had to force my husband into that picture."

"Why did you cover his face?" Roy inquired. Trisha shrugged.

"You don't want to know," she simply smiled before pointing to another photo. It was taken out by the tree, at the swing.

"I took that because it was so darn cute," she cooed. The photo, containing the brothers and a little blonde girl, was funny in a way.

Alphonse and the girl were asleep beneath the swing, lying atop each other and then Edward was sprawled over the swing, out like a light.

The last photo was a photo of Trisha, and the boys.

"My husband took that one, shortly after I'd given birth," she said distantly. She stroked the tiny baby in the photo, wrapped in a blue blanket. She then went on to stroke the little blonde poking his finger into the cheek of the newborn, golden eyes inspecting the thing.

"I'd guess he was very young then," Roy laughed, pointing at Ed, the elder prodding the newborn.

"Oh yes. He was little over a year old then, my little man," Trisha chuckled.


End file.
